Trolley base



Nov. 13, i923, 4?/3,@@9

| F. BURNHAM TROLLEY BASE Filed y 14, 1921 2 sheet'sfisheet &3)

WITNESSES:

INVENTOR Patented Nov. 13, L923.

LELAND F. 'BURNHAM, OF FAIRZPQRT, NEVI YORK, AESIGNQR: T 1).; IBTUITALL COMPANY, A CGRPQRATIGN OF PENNSYLVANIA.

TROLLEY Basia.

Applicationfiled May 14, 1921. Serial No. 469,442.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, LELAND F. BURNI-IAM,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Fairport, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and. useful Improvement in Trolley Bases, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to trolley bases and particularly to means whereby two poles are re mounted on a single base in such manner that'they may have n'iovement independently of one another.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of .means whereby two trolley it poles may be mounted on a car in such manner that they occupy a minimum amount of space and be so arranged as to permit of each pole being operated or adjusted independently of, and free from interference with, the other pole.

Another object is the provision of simplified form of assembly whereby-the swivel bearing members may be readily disassembled'for inspection and repairs and which is compact in design and of a minimum height.

2 My invention is designed more particular ly for use on trolley cars of the safety or one-man type, which cars are of a comparatively short length and permit of the use of but asingle trolleypole, if an excessive overhang of the pole at the end of the car is to be avoided. In the double-end cars of that type, it is necessary for the motorman to leave the car at the end of the line in order to reverse the trolley pole.

With the two-pole type of construction, the motorman need not leave the car but may merely hook down one pole in the usual manner and walk to the other end of the car and release the other pole for engagement with the trolley wire.

Furthermore, the use of a two-pole construction is advantageous in places where there is not sufiicient space to permit of swinging a single pole to reverse position, as in car barns. 7

My construction comprises a single base which occupies no greater space on the root 50 of the car than does the ordinary single-pole base, and two superimposed rotatable members mounted on the base and each adapted to support a trolley pole.

Referring now to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a viewiot atro lley car,.with 5 my form of trolley base applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of my device; i

Fig. 3.is a plan View;

Figs. 4 and 5 are detail viewsof the yoke members to which the poles are fastened;

Figs. (5 and 7 are side elevational views or the parts shown in Figs. 4 and 5 respec tively, and i i I Fig. 8 is a sectional view, looking in the o5 direction of the arrows V'III VIII.,ot Fig. 3. i i i i I My construction is illustrated as applied to a trolley car 9, in the usual manner, and comprises a base 10 to which are secured 7O trolley poles 11 and 12, normally maii1- tained under tension by springs 1 t. and adapted to operate in the usual manner. Hooks 15 and 16 are provided for holding the trolley poles in inoperative positions 7 when desired. V i

The base 10 consists of a main supporting member 1'? provided with holes 18 through which bolts pass to secure the base to the car. An annular runway 19 is provided to serve as part of a bearing construction hereinafter to be described.

A rotatable member 20 extends circumferentially of the base member 17 and is provided with a groove 21 for approximately onehalf of its circumference and with a pair of ears 22 at each side thereof, as shown more clearly in Figs, 3 and 8. Ball bearing runways are formed in the top and bottom surfaces of the member 20. e0

Yokes 23 are each provided with a head 24 and a pair of perforated lugs 25. The head 24L fits into the groove 21 of the member 20, and one of the yokes 23 is firmly secured to this rotatable member by bolts or screws, as shown in Fig. 8.

A rotatable member 26 is also disposed circumferentially of the base member 17 and is provided with ball-bearing faces or runways on its upper and lower sides. The member 26 is also provided with two pairs of perforated ears 27 and a groove 28, which serve as a support and holding means for one of the yoke members 23 in the same manner as the ears and groove of the member 20.

A cover plate 29 is secured to the base member 17 by means of a plurality of bolts 30 and serves to retain the rotatable members in position. Ball-bearings are intei posed between the rotatable members and between said members and the bearing plate 19 and the cover plate 29, in the manner shown in Figs, 2 and 8.

It will thus be seen that each rotatable member and the yoke carried by it has free rotative movement independently of the other rotatable member, and that, by removing the plate 29, the rotatable members may conveniently be removed.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 2 to 7, inclusive, it will be seen that each yoke is provided with a pair of lugs 31 that have openings 32 and 33 through which bolts project to furnish. supports for a trolley-pole socket 34 and a pair of tension springs 14:, respectively.

The springs 14 are secured to the trolley pole socket adjacent to its outer end, and, having their inner ends lying in a plane above that occupied by the inner end of the trolley pole socket, serve to normally main tain the socket 334 and the pole 12, which is carried thereby, in elevated position.

The poles are operated in the usual manner, and it will be seen that, although they are mounted on a single base, each pole is movable independently of the other and as free as though it were on a single-pole base.

Various modifications may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined in the accompanying claims.

1 claim as my invention:

1. A trolley base comprising, in combination, a bottom member, two superimposed rotatable members, a top member, and antifriction bearings" interposed between said members, the two rotatable members each being adapted to support a trolley pole.

said members, the two rotatable members each being adapted to support a trolley pole.

3. In a trolleybase, a plurality ofindependently movable rotatable members, a

yoke secured to each of said members and provided with pole-supporting means, and poletensioningmeans carried by the yoke at point adjacent to the pole-supporting means, the pole-supporting and tensioning means on each yoke and its corresponding rotatable member being so disposed as not to interfere with the movement of another rotatable member.

a. A trolley base comprising, in combination, a bottom member, a bearing member provided with aball-bearing runway in its upper surface, a rotatable member provided with ball-bearing runways in both its upper and its lower surfaces, a second rotatable member provided with ball-bearing runways in its upper and lower surfaces, and a cover plate provided with a ball-bearing runway in its lower surface, said members all being superimposed, and the adjacent runways being adapted to co-operate the one with the other.

5. A trolley base comprising, in combination, a bearing plate, a cover plate, an interposed rotatable member, the adjacent faces of the three members being provided with runways for ball bearings, and means on the rotatable member for supporting a pole and other means thereon for supporting a tensioning device, said two. supporting means being in substantially vertical alignment.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this fifth day of May,

L. F. BURNHAM. 

